The Reusing Dublin Project uses an app that enables and encourages the public to log details of suspected vacant or derelict buildings across Dublin that can be investigated and potentially returned to use for social housing and a means of ending homelessness in the city.

Emergency accommodation is more expensive and less effective than Housing First which receives less than 1% of the national annual homeless budget in Ireland. In other countries up to 50% of the homeless services budget must be invested in the Housing First model.

If the current rate of people becoming homeless continues, there will be 8,300 people living in homeless accommodation when the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe announces details of Budget 2018.

“The rising cost of rent is the main source of new homeless cases, and our worry is that we will see even more households losing their homes as the situation worsens”, Pat Doyle, CEO, Peter McVerry Trust.

The study, carried out by Dr Paula Mayock and Sarah Parker of Trinity’s School of Social Work and Social Policy, highlights causes of homelessness among young people, including family breakdown, leaving State care, early school leaving and lack of access to employment.

“Given the sector added over 220 emergency beds in Dublin in late 2016 and has worked constantly to increase housing ‘move ons’ we had hoped that the figure would not be on the increase” – Pat Doyle, CEO.

In a new one-hour television documentary ‘Peter McVerry: A view from the Basement’, which will air on RTÉ One tonight, the Jesuit priest tells the Government, “We ignore the drug problem at our peril.”